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Grey Rot worries implicates ideal harvest date Noble rot just happens to be the same rot that the rest of the region is dreading. Unfortunately the risk is high this year and is going to be the limiting factor of when to harvest in 2013. The harvest boom this year is much earlier than predicted … Continue reading →

2013 Lucky for some! Everyone is happy in Sauternes as the alternating of wet and hot sunny conditions is perfect for the onset of ‘noble rot’ botrytis cinerea. There is so much uniform botrytis that whole bunches are able to be picked instead this year of the painstaking berry by Berry (last happened in 2005). 2013 … Continue reading →

Most of the white grapes have been harvested in Bordeaux, the rosé is under way and now we just keep our fingers crossed for the reds. Températures are perfect over 30°C during the day dropping to 12°C at night for the past week. Early signs of botrytis can be seen particularly on vines that have not … Continue reading →

BORDEAUX’S ESTUARY AND RIVERS http://www.estuaire-gironde.fr Without its rivers and Estuary the wine region of Bordeaux would not be what it is today. The Gironde is a navigable estuary (often falsely referred to as a river), in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just downstream of the centre … Continue reading →

The grapes are in the middle of turning red, or more like purple. It is very comforting to see after all the extremes that this vintage has already had to cope with. From mid veraison you count 45 days and it brings you to the date to start picking your grapes – normally! Harvest Timing … Continue reading →

A little synopsis of St Emilion; facts and figures and an explanation of its confusing classification and different styles. The St Emilion appellation (5565 ha) lies on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River to the East of Bordeaux city (around 45 minutes drive) and is well worth visiting. Due to its predominantly clay soils, … Continue reading →